the-gotham-pain:

honeybeehum:

millicentsopeculiar:

rhavewellyarnbag:

millicentcordelia:

Gotham s4e09: Oswald and Martin

Ugh- Oswald’s going to rot in off-the-rack hell for the way he treats that little boy.  In all likelihood, Sofia’s going to join him there.  On the positive side: this is terrible to watch, but it is in keeping with what was said about Oswald becoming “more depraved”, and I’m certainly happy to see that Sofia’s a complete monster.  So
 good work on this characterization
 Gotham writers?  It feels so weird to say that!

@rhavewellyarnbag   Oswald is treating Martin not as a child, but as a small adult. Yes, he should know better. I wonder, though-if that’s how Oswald was treated, or if he had to act as adult at an inappropriately young age.

Why is Martin crying? Because Oswald has frightened him, or hurt his feelings; or, because he’s already working for Sofia and knows he’s going to betray Oswald?

Another thought: At the dinner, why did Pyg select Martin to use as a hostage, rather than any of the other children? Without inside information, how did he know that Martin was special to Oswald?

Sorry to butt in on your conversation, but your recent posts about Oswald’s relationship with Martin and the light it might shed on his relationship with Gertrud has just been fascinating to me, and I wanted to chime in here because this thought occurred to me as well. Like, Gertrud and Oswald’s relationship is weird on multiple levels, but one of them is the way it sort of collapses age? Is that the word I want? From the scenes we get of them in season 1 it seems like Oswald occupies several roles for his mother simultaneously. She obviously treats him like he’s still a young child in several scenes (the bath, talking about bullies), but she’s also jealous of imaginary women when he disappears for days, treating him more like a lover or husband. And then we see him having to comfort and humor her several times, in a reversal of the parent-child dynamic. So yeah, I definitely get the sense that in some ways, Gertrud never wanted him to grow up, and in others, he was forced to grow up too early. (Related to that, I always wonder when he started having to work to support them both? Gertrud doesn’t seem well enough to have been consistently employed. Do you think he finished high school?)

(I hope I’m not coming off as excusing Oswald’s treatment of Martin, btw. It’s super gross, but also very intriguing as to what it says about his own childhood.)

#this is excellent commentary?? #Oswald’s relationship with his mother is SO relative here #she needed so much from him and he never gave it a second thought #(almost similarly to how willingly he goes along with his step family’s abuse after Arkham) #(the treatment made him passive
 but didn’t force him to STAY)

#it’s odd that Oswald’s big love arc with Ed cast him as being somehow unable to sacrifice
 #when he constantly and consistently centered his entire life around his mother

#if that’s how he thinks family works that could absolutley be impacting how he treats Martin #there are no considerations for age or power dynamic – you give everything you’re capable of all the time #he understands on some level that Martin is a child
 #but if they’re going to be friends or conspirators that goes out the window #(maybe like with Ivy?) #he protects Martin to the best of his ability and he expects the same im return #that’s the world he lives in #and I would love to know more about the childhood that gave him that perspective

honeybeehum:

granpappy-winchester:

#thank you Gotham#thank you thank you#I have problems and criticisms and concerns#but there are so many moments on this show that have truly and genuinely resonated with me#the subtlety of this – the lingering impact of suicide and the way trauma and mental illness can slip down through generations#the way Oswald believes in ghosts and worries about hell and stands at the edge of precipices#the way he clings to emotions and impulses to propel himself forward by power of will#the seductiveness of his loneliness and how he sets himself apart by choice#how much he wants love and connection and how terrifying it is for him to lower his walls#how manipulation is a serviceable substitute that lets him stay in control#(stay SAFE)#his careful balance of self-awareness and recklessness – actively seeking out things he can want and reasons to wake up in the morning#and especially ESPECIALLY the way his face crumples here at the recognition#post-Arkham Oswald is still Oswald#it’s just Oswald without his violent and narcissistic coping mechanisms#and that breaks my heart because
 I KNOW that look#Gotham#Oswald Cobblepot#(there’s a reason this is my favorite show. sometimes I just forget) ( @sure-as-eggs )

God damn, those tags.

moku-youbi:

This gives me so many feels, seeing it like this, all laid out, and just, fucking ED! You could have had him, so easily. Oswald was giving himself to you, was willing to sacrifice his *life* for yours–and for someone as selfish and self-centred as Oswald that’s just
huge, and unbelievable. 

And now, it’s painful to watch each instance where he denies Ed, each where he restrains himself, because the longing is still there, this internal struggle against what he desperately wants and his pride and tendency towards violent retribution for even the smallest (even imagined) slight. Shit, even when he starts getting antagonistic and snarky post-thaw, it smacks of a defense mechanism. Protect himself and make Ed feel as lost as Oswald did when Ed broke his heart.

Ed, if you need any further proof of Oswald’s continued deep and abiding love, it’s his indulgence of your antics, and your continued survival in Gotham.